Welcome. My name is Arthur Mackeown, a short story writer and very minor artist. This is my first blog, and I'll try to post at least twice a week. Below the posts I've added some of my favourite music, and some photos of places I have visited. Above this introduction you can see one of my paintings, and to the right of the posts you'll find some of my stories.

Munch Ado About Nothing

GOLD

Vampire's night Out

A horrified vampire discovers that his new bride is addicted to garlic ($0.99)

Can't Catch Me

Short story about some very peculiar graveyard goings-on. ($0.99--1800 words.)

The Breakwater

Short story. The body of an elderly man is discovered on a lonely beach that can only be approached at low tide by way of an ancient breakwater. How did he get there, and what connects his death to the death of an eleven year-old boy who drowned after falling from that same breakwater during a deadly game more than fifty years ago? ($0.99--3080 words.)

On The House

Short story. Entering the Place of the Dead is easy enough. Getting out is another matter (FREE on Smashwords and other retailers--approx 3,000 words)

Rocking Horse Paint

Fictionalised version of true story. ($0.99--2110 words)

Treasure

Life suddenly looks brighter after exchanging a few words with a total stranger. ($0.99--1120 words)

The Yellow Road

A small boy tries to run away from boarding school and finds an unexpected ally. ($0.99--3210 words)

Mouthwash

Weird short stories. Mild comic erotica. ($0.99--4170 words)

The Eyes Have It

A not-so-romantic encounter between an urban cannibal and a young lady who is not quite what she seems. Mild comic erotica.(FREE on Smashwords and other retailers--990 words)

About Me

I'm a 65 year old British ex-pat living on a kibbutz in Israel. After working in a variety of odd jobs, as one does on a kibbutz, I became a very minor artist and sculptor, and then began publishing short stories in print and online magazines. At present I'm trying my luck at publishing my own work on internet retailers such as Amazon and Smashwords.

Followers

Blog Archive

Carol Burnett--classic comedy

Safranbolu

An old Turkish town

Enchey

Buddhist monastery in Himalayan foothills

Cavusin

Monastery carved out of volcanic rock in central Turkey

The Hill

This is a British film classic, a grim, powerful story of life in a British army prison in Egypt during WW2. It tells of how a group of prisoners are singled out for special attention by a sadistic prison officer. Eventually he pushes them too far. The Hill stars Sean Connery who, in my mind at least, should have got an Oscar for his performance, which is about as far from James Bond as you could get.

Come and See

Come and See is a Soviet-era war film about a 13 year-old boy who joins the partisans during Hitler's invasion of Belarus, and it's perhaps the best war film I have seen. Do not expect to be entertained, however. This is truly a most disturbing film, and definately not for children.

The Wedding Song

This is a fascinating French/Tunisian film about two young women, one Jewish, one Muslim, during the Nazi occupation of Tunisia. I have seen the film twice and can highly recommend it. If you click on the image you can read what the critics have to say.

The Prisoner of the Mountains

This is an impressive and sometimes beautiful Russian film about two soldiers captured by Chechen rebels who are trying to free one of their number from a Russian prison. The story follows the relationships that develop between the prisoners and their threatening, yet sometimes humane captors.